1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for carrying out a composition process in an image pickup apparatus or an image pickup system wherein the image pickup visual field is varied, for example, automatically to carry out image pickup. The present invention relates also to a program for implementing the image processing apparatus and the image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image pickup system is already known which includes a digital still camera and a camera platform which electrically varies the pan-tilt directions of the digital still camera. Further, a technique of carrying out automatic composition adjustment and automatic recording of a picked up image obtained by the composition adjustment is known and disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-100300 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a face detection technique is used to carry out search for an image pickup object as a person. In particular, while the digital still camera is rotated in the pan direction by the camera platform, detection of an image pickup object, that is, of the face of a person, reflected in a picture range is carried out.
Then, if an image pickup object is detected in the picture range as a result of such search for an image pickup object, then decision of an optimum composition in accordance with a detection form of the image pickup object such as, for example, the number, position, size and so forth of image pickup objects, within the picture range at the point of time is carried out (optimum composition decision). In short, angles for pan, tilt and zoom operations which are estimated to be optimum are determined.
Further, after the optimum angles for pan, tilt and zoom operations are determined by the optimum composition decision in this manner, adjustment of the pan, tilt and zoom angles is carried out using the determined angles as target angles (composition adjustment).
After completion of the composition adjustment, automatic recording of a picked up image is carried out.
With automatic image pickup operation by such automatic composition adjustment, that is, with picked up image automatic recording by such automatic composition adjustment, the necessity for any manual operation for image pickup by the user is eliminated, and recording of a picked up image of an optimum composition can be carried out automatically.